Games NOT Beaten 2017

[PartridgeSenpai]

King's Field. Seriously, it's the three King's Field games (and Shadow Tower) on PS1. Nobody ever takes me seriously about these games. People look at the graphics and think the games must be trash. A few people dare to try them, and are instantly turned off by the slow turning speed and hardcore difficulty. Just because something's not IMMEDIATELY fun then it must be junk. It's a goddamn travesty. These are some of the best dungeon crawlers ever made, that offer experiences that feel like true adventures, all while remaining deliciously challenging. Just give one of the games a couple hours and I bet you'll get hooked.

Actually, the main thing that puts me off the King's Field games is the bit I highlighted in red and bold. It's just not a genre I really enjoy.

Same here. Very very light story and unforgiving gameplay are both things that alone would make me hesitant to stick with a game, but both together is a bit much. Dungeon crawlers in general also really turn me away. That's why I didn't like Dark Cloud, that's why I didn't like Skyward Sword, and that's why I didn't like the Diablo games particularly either. They're games that when I look at them empirically I think I should really enjoy them, but they can never hold my attention through to the end

[Sarge]

Yeah, Skyward Sword has dungeons, but it's a stretch for me to call it a "dungeon crawler". That has very different connotations in my mind. (And indeed, King's Field and Diablo come to mind, as does something like Brandish. Plus a lot of your old first-person RPGs.)

[PartridgeSenpai]

Yeah, Skyward Sword has dungeons, but it's a stretch for me to call it a "dungeon crawler". That has very different connotations in my mind. (And indeed, King's Field and Diablo come to mind, as does something like Brandish. Plus a lot of your old first-person RPGs.)

I getcha. I lumped it in there because a common way it's been described to me is "everywhere is a dungeon," which I feel is accurate. There's more or less never a point outside of the one town or flying on the bird where you're walking through open fields like Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time have. It's all labyrinthine puzzle-solving or fighting enemies with the motion plus (which are puzzles in and of themselves, more often than not).

[Xeogred]

If you don't want that copy of Koudelka anymore Exhuminator... you have my number.

Wish I ordered it years ago when it was more affordable. I actually discovered it through the Secret of Mana composer. It looks pretty cool and like a very bizarre mixture of genres. I love RE and I like turn based, so maybe it'd worked for me. I played a little of Shadow Hearts awhile back and thought it was cool, didn't dive in fully though so I'll give it another shot someday. Covenant seems highly praised though so I have it.

Yeah, Skyward Sword has dungeons, but it's a stretch for me to call it a "dungeon crawler". That has very different connotations in my mind. (And indeed, King's Field and Diablo come to mind, as does something like Brandish. Plus a lot of your old first-person RPGs.)

Well this isn't an argument against your comparisons here, but I liked how complicated Skyward Sword's "overworld" was. In a sense it hardly has one, unlike all the other 3D Zelda's before it. It's far more fragmented and even when you're backtracking it can be complicated to traverse through areas again, for better or worse. But I liked how this vibe made it feel like the overworld itself was a dungeon. Which is how I would describe Oracle of Ages too.

Errr, I just noticed PartridgeSenpai above is saying the exact same thing now... maybe he heard that from me.

[Exhuminator]

If you don't want that copy of Koudelka anymore Exhuminator... you have my number.

Sorry, sold it off years ago. Just emulate it man!

I love RE and I like turn based, so maybe it'd worked for me.

Koudelka is exactly that, RE style exploration, turn based grid battles. The game has tremendous atmosphere and a legitimately great plot. Truly freaky enemies. Also one of the hardest optional bosses ever. If Koudelka has any weakness, it's the OST. The game's music is nowhere near what you'd expect.

Covenant seems highly praised though so I have it.

After I finish Kid Icarus: Uprising, my next game is Demon's Souls. But after Demon's Souls, I'm planning to do Covenant. (So glad I finally got my dork cave functional.)

[Sarge]

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see Zelda dungeons as things that make it a dungeon crawler. They're much more puzzle-like than what you see in games that are usually considered dungeon crawlers.

I probably already posted this, but I saw it on another board and it stuck with me. Skyward Sword is basically Nintendo going "Oops, all dungeons!" And I love it for that. (Still doesn't make it a dungeon crawler in my mind, though.)

[Xeogred]

I almost worry about your reaction to Demon's Souls after Tactics Ogre and my year(s?) of hype. But with Demon's Souls if you dislike it will just mean you are very wrong and a bad person that must rethink everything... no, rekindle.

My friend who has played them all and the King's Field / Shadow Tower's likes Demon's the best I believe. I could actually see it drawing many parallels from Vagrant Story. I bet you'll love it, or else...

It is the GOAT.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see Zelda dungeons as things that make it a dungeon crawler. They're much more puzzle-like than what you see in games that are usually considered dungeon crawlers.

I probably already posted this, but I saw it on another board and it stuck with me. Skyward Sword is basically Nintendo going "Oops, all dungeons!" And I love it for that. (Still doesn't make it a dungeon crawler in my mind, though.)

Zelda is the ZELDA genre.

I hope they got a little "oops all dungeons" in the next game on top of BoTW's blueprint.

[Exhuminator]

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't see Zelda dungeons as things that make it a dungeon crawler. They're much more puzzle-like than what you see in games that are usually considered dungeon crawlers.

Agreed. Zelda is no dungeon crawler.

I almost worry about your reaction to Demon's Souls after Tactics Ogre and my year(s?) of hype. But with Demon's Souls if you dislike it will just mean you are very wrong and a bad person that must rethink everything... no, rekindle.

It's by From Software and has some Shadow Tower DNA in it, I should at least like it, if not love it.

The only thing I'm worried about, is if Demon's Souls (and Dark Souls) will live up the legendarily hyped difficulty the series is so often declared to have. I'm looking forward to testing my mettle. Gonna find out if the general gaming community's just a bunch of pansies after all.

[Xeogred]

I almost worry about your reaction to Demon's Souls after Tactics Ogre and my year(s?) of hype. But with Demon's Souls if you dislike it will just mean you are very wrong and a bad person that must rethink everything... no, rekindle.

It's by From Software and has some Shadow Tower DNA in it, I should at least like it, if not love it.

The only thing I'm worried about, is if Demon's Souls (and Dark Souls) will live up the legendarily hyped difficulty the series is so often declared to have. I'm looking forward to testing my mettle. Gonna find out if the general gaming community's just a bunch of pansies after all.

Dude I've warned you not to focus too much on that. New gamers of the previous gen and current just didn't know what games that don't hold your hand are like, haha. It definitely feels like an NES game in an awesome way.

They aren't easy, but one could probably argue they're just simply weird rather than hard. But some people here have struggled with them so who knows. My first Demon's character was actually really bad because I played it safe with a spear and kind of didn't know what I was doing. Same with Dark Souls 1, I didn't even beat it with my first character, went with an awful dex/katana build. That's the magic to these games though, exploring and figuring things out. I'm assuming you'll be going into them fairly blind as well. But there's some weird systems in Demon's you might mention that I can clarify on when you get to it.

Most people universally agree your first will be the hardest. I think the only thing for sure is that I think Dark Souls 1 is easily the most unforgiving when it comes to stat distribution and your build. If you misplace a few points you might be completely screwed. It's maybe the most daunting game too because of how open it is, while still being very obtuse and still early underground From Software. The later games refine things and never in a bad way really, but there's something to love about how Demon's and Dark Souls 1 are a bit more archaic.

It'll be interesting to watch your journey through them and as someone who knows their roots. Everyone has their preferences between Demon's, Dark, and Bloodborne, which installment, etc. I think I'm in the rare camp that still likes Demon's the best, but they're all 10/10's.

It was kind of frustrating getting one of my friends into them, he's played and beaten Dark Souls 1 and Bloodborne. He couldn't get into Demon's for some reason and then with the others he used a guide point for point on so many things, it was annoying. He was so caught up on like what starting classes to use (they're ultimately almost pointless after the initial hours), or how to get this Dragon X Super sword drop from a boss when I'm just like "Dude, I beat the game with a generic Claymore". I had another friend who couldn't get into Demon's. But none of these guys are like us here at RB and into older stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if you like Demon's the most.

Man I get too excited about these games. lol, I think it will be a yearly itch for me... even though there's tons of new games coming out right now I want to get to and some backlog I want to hit up, I'm thinking it might be a good time to check out the Dark Souls 3 DLC's soon.

Or I'll just play Demon's for the 10th time.

[Exhuminator]

I'm assuming you'll be going into them fairly blind as well.

Absolutely. I never play games with a strategy guide in tow, never. The only time I consult a strategy guide is if I'm lost where to go next in a JRPG (common in old JRPGs) in order to advance the plot. Or to check a table of contents to get an idea as to how far I currently am into a game. Other than that, I don't rely on strategy guides. If I miss stuff so be it. I'd rather miss stuff than have every little thing spoiled for me by the guide, before I even get to it. Not to mention you know, enjoying the actual challenge of the experience on your own merit. (Disregard I'm an elitist snob.)

Or I'll just play Demon's for the 10th time.

Or go back further into the series' DNA, and enjoy the King's Field series.